Vitamin D deficiency: 70% north Indian women at high risk of diabetes, eat these 5 foods to stay fit

Nearly 70 percent of women in north India have low vitamin D levels, putting them at high risk of developing type-2 diabetes. A lack of vitamin D can affect your bones and overall health. Include these five healthy foods in your daily diet to increase your vitamin D intake naturally.

70 percent of women in north India are deficient in vitamin D&nbsp | &nbspPhoto Credit:&nbspThinkstock

New Delhi: A new study has found that nearly 70 per cent of women in north India are deficient in vitamin D, putting them at high risk of developing type-2 diabetes. The new study, conducted by Fortis C-Doc in association with AIIMS, Diabetes Foundation of India and National Diabetes Obesity and Cholesterol Foundation, revealed the link between low vitamin D and high blood glucose levels in Indian women who are pre-diabetic. Pre-diabetes is a condition in which blood sugar is high, but not high enough to be classified as type 2 diabetes.

According to the study published in the British Medical Journal, despite adequate exposure to sunshine, 68.6 per cent pre-diabetic women living in the northern part of the country suffer from vitamin D deficiency, 26 per cent have ‘insufficient’ levels, while only 5.5 per cent have ‘sufficient’ levels of the vitamin. Vitamin D deficiency has become a serious concern in India. A lack of this vitamin can affect your bones and overall health. Earlier, a study by ASSOCHAM showed that 8 in 10 people suffer from Vitamin D deficiency in Delhi. Read - Vitamin D and miscarriage: What you need to know

“In India, there is a need to understand this as women have a propensity to be obese, develop metabolic syndrome, consequent hyperglycaemia and thereby be at the risk of diabetes. The pace at which women are moving from the pre-diabetic stage to the diabetic stage is alarming,” Anoop Misra, Chairman Fortis C-Doc, said in a statement. “If this could be prevented by prescribing a cost-effective vitamin D supplement, it would be truly amazing,” he added.

The researchers suggested an inverse relationship exists between vitamin D levels and blood sugar levels - which indicates that the lower the vitamin D levels, the higher the blood sugar. This may be due to the fact that vitamin D may have a direct effect on the pancreatic beta cell function, thereby increasing insulin production, said the researchers.

Although the link between the high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and abdominal obesity had already established in the past, the relationship between vitamin D and the development of pre-diabetes, with a special focus on women, has remained obscure and unexplored, Misra added.

For the study, the team studied 797 women between the ages of 20 and 60. Women from lower socio-economic groups tend to have a higher vitamin deficiency compared to those from higher socio-economic groups, the researchers said. The researchers also found that post-menopausal women who suffer from low calcium deposits in addition to low vitamin D deficiency have a higher risk of bone damage than others.

Meanwhile, a recent report by India Spend showed that India currently accounts for 49 per cent of the world's diabetes burden, with an estimated 72 million cases in 2017. The figure is expected to almost double to 134 million by 2025.

What you can do to increase your vitamin D intake

The researchers suggested that supplementation with vitamin D may prevent diabetes in India women. The good thing you can eat a few foods that naturally have vitamin D. They are:

Fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel

Beef liver

Cheese

Mushrooms

Egg yolks

One can also get vitamin D from fortified foods such as milk, breakfast cereals, orange juice, soy drinks, yogurt and other dairy products, etc. A healthy lifestyle, which includes eating a healthy diet, regular physical activity, maintaining a normal body weight and not giving in to bad habits such as tobacco use can help prevent or delay the onset of type-2 diabetes.

Vitamin D deficiency: 70% north Indian women at high risk of diabetes, eat these 5 foods to stay fitDescription:Nearly 70 percent of women in north India have low vitamin D levels, putting them at high risk of developing type-2 diabetes. A lack of vitamin D can affect your bones and overall health. Include these five healthy foods in your daily diet to increase your vitamin D intake naturally.Times Now